REGINALD HAWKINS PURCHASE
Private - Devonshire Regiment
Died
of wounds
14th
March 1915
Reginald
Hawkins Purchase was the son of Thomas Alfred Purchase, shown on the 1891 census
as a general dealer, and Agnes Purchase. He was born in Cullompton around 1883
and had a sister, Rita May, two years his junior.
It
is probable that Private 8610 Purchase was a regular soldier or a member of the
Reserve at the outbreak of the war. This is indicated by the fact that he was
entitled to the 1914 star, his qualifying date being 6th
November 1914. He was therefore on the Western Front by this date, serving with
the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment.
The
2nd Devons had sailed from Southampton on 5th November
1914, having been recalled from Egypt, and landed at Harve the following day.
From here they travelling on foot or by train to Neuve Eglise and took over
trenches opposite Messines Ridge on 12th November. Their stay was
brief and after several further moves they took part in a successful attack on
the area known as the Mounted Grange, to the north of Neuve Chapelle in Northern
France. The date was 18th December 1914.
The
war was not to be over by Christmas, but Christmas did come to the troops in the
form of parcels from home, gifts from well wishers and an unofficial truce along
part of the front line. On 25th December 1914 the German soldiers
opposite the 2nd Devons hoisted a placard on which was written “You
no fight, we no fight”. The men sang carols, met their enemies in no mans land
and exchanged cigarettes. For a few hours the war was indeed over, but
hostilities recommenced again that evening. Perhaps Private Purchase was
involved in this remarkable event.
By
the end of January 1915 the battalion had been in France for 4 months and had
sustained 278 casualties, 10 officers and 268 other ranks. The 2nd
Devons remained to the west of Neuve Chapelle until the last day of February
when they were removed to rest billets some way behind the lines. The purpose of
this move was to prepare them for the forthcoming assault on Neuve Chapelle
itself it which they were to play a vital part.
The
2nd Devons were to support the 2nd Battalion of the
Middlesex Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the Scottish Rifles. The
artillery bombardment which had commenced on the 10th March was
intended to destroy the enemy wire and their first and second line trenches. The
artillery arrived too late to perform a satisfactory job and the 2nd
Middlesex and 2nd Scottish Rifles sustained heavy casualties as a
result, although the latter were more successful in their advance than the
former. As a result the 2nd Devons were used to support the 2nd
Scottish Rifles and soon found themselves in the thick of the attack. By that
night the village was in British hands but communication difficulties meant that
supplies could not be maintained if further advances were made. The Germans had
time to reinforce and the battalion was ordered to dig in.
The
battalion remained in Neuve Chapelle for the next two days in reserve lines. The
fighting continued and the 2nd Devons suffered casualties from heavy
shellfire even though they were not directly involved. In the afternoon of the
12th March, exhausted from lack of sleep, the 2nd Devons,
together with all other available troops from the 23rd and 24th
Brigades, was ordered to take part in a renewed attack along the
Neuve-Chapell-Mauquissart road. The attack was due to commence at 6.30pm but was
twice postponed. The new zero hour was set at 1.30am on the 13th, but
in the intervening time it was discovered that the enemy position was protected
by a thorn hedge reinforced with barbed wire. This information was conveyed to
Brigade Headquarters but the attack was not called off until after zero hour.
Most of the battalion were able to withdraw without drawing fire from the enemy,
but B Company, cut off from the rest of the battalion by a dyke, did not receive
the order to halt and so continued their assault. Over 30 casualties were
incurred before the situation could be saved.
On
14th March 1915 the battalion was relieved. Ammunition supplies were
short and the enemy had successfully reinforced their position. The allies had
dug in and, for a while, all was quiet.
Whilst
his comrades left for billets at Pont du Hem, Private Purchase was lying in
hospital in Rouen. He died on 14th March 1915 of injuries presumably
sustained sometime during the battle of Neuve Chapelle. A member of the
ill-fated B Company, it is possible that he was wounded in the abortive attack
the previous day. He was 32 years old.
Reginald
Hawkins Purchase is buried in St Sever Cemetery, Rouen, one of over 3,000
casualties of the Great War to be commemorated on this site.